Content
- The hop harvest - when and how do you harvest hops?
- Only harvest female umbels
- When is the harvest time for hops?
- This will tell you if the hops are ripe
- Harvest hops properly
- Process hops after harvest
- Tips
Only female umbels are harvested
The hop harvest - when and how do you harvest hops?
If the hop plants in the garden carry their typical umbels, you may think of brewing beer or harvesting the hop fruits for tea or medicinal purposes. When are hops ready for harvest and how are the fruits harvested?
Early item properly cultivate hops in the garden or on the balcony Next article Hops multiply - Tips to propagate!Only harvest female umbels
If you want to use hops, you need to grow female plants. Only these develop the fruits that contain lupullin. The yellow powder contains the coveted active ingredients that make the beer foam or achieve the desired healing effect.
Whether a plant is male or female, you will not see it until it blooms. Female hops form umbellifers in which the hop fruit ripens. The flowers of male hops can be recognized by the long panicles.
Be sure to only haul female plants if you want to harvest hops. Buy the plants therefore better in the specialized trade. In brewery areas the breeding of male hop plants is even forbidden.
When is the harvest time for hops?
The harvest time for hops depends on the weather and the location. Usually it is the end of August or September so far.
This will tell you if the hops are ripe
From the outside you can not tell if a hop fruit is ripe. You have to open a fruit to look.
The hops are ripe when the yellow powder Lupullin has formed in the umbel. When you open the fruit, you release an aromatic scent. This is the surest sign that the hops are ripe for harvest.
Harvest hops properly
Harvest the hops as long as they are still green and tightly closed. Carefully cut off the umbels, being careful not to hurt them.
The best time to harvest is a dry day. Even in the days before it should have rained a little. The drier the hop fruits are, the faster they can be processed and stored in the freezer.
Process hops after harvest
If you want to enjoy the soothing effect of the hops as a tea, you will harvest the fruits continuously. Always cut off the largest umbels and pour boiling water over them.
For a large hop harvest, leave the fruit to dry for a while after harvesting. By drying, the umbels unfold and make available the yellow Lupullin, which contains the active ingredients desired in natural medicine or for the brewery.
You can also put the dried umbels in freezer bags and store in the freezer for later use. The hops stay there for up to a year.
Tips
In areas with commercial hop cultivation, the harvest is done by machine. The entire plant is cut and the umbels later separated.